NEW BRUNSWICK — Rutgers University President Robert Barchi reaffirmed the selection of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as commencement speaker in a letter to the campus community today that addresses the growing discord over the choice.

"On May 18, we will welcome former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to deliver the 2014 Rutgers University–New Brunswick commencement address," Barchi wrote, his first comments since a faculty group called on the school to rescind the invitation to Rice.

Barchi said Rutgers has heard from faculty, staff, students and alumni expressing opinions about Rice's selection.

"We have even heard from high school students who have written to say that they would withdraw their Rutgers applications if we rescind — or fail to rescind — our invitation to her," Barchi wrote. "These are the kinds of exchanges that every great university welcomes. Like all vibrant intellectual communities, Rutgers can thrive only when it vigorously defends the free exchange of ideas in an environment of civil discourse."

Last month, Rutgers' New Brunswick Faculty Council passed a resolution calling on the university’s board of governors to rescind its invitation to Rice. She is scheduled to receive $35,000 and an honorary doctorate for her speech.

The faculty resolution said Rutgers should not honor Rice because of her role in the war in Iraq and the Bush administration's adoption of waterboarding and other controversial interrogation techniques.

"Condoleezza Rice ... played a prominent role in the administration’s effort to mislead the American people about the presence of weapons of mass destruction," the resolution said.

“The faculty’s self absorbed view of geopolitics reinforces their elitist academic persona. These learned professors think they know what is best for all of us. They stand as self imposed guardians of the truth – the truth as they see it," state Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-Morris) said in a statement earlier this week.

In his letter, Barchi listed Rice's accomplishments, calling her one of the "most influential intellectual and political figures of the last 50 years." He also called on the university community to renew its commitment to open discourse.

"Like our fellow citizens, you and I — our colleagues — have deep and sincerely held beliefs and convictions that often stand in stark contrast to others around us," Barchi wrote. "Yet, we cannot protect free speech or academic freedom by denying others the right to an opposing view, or by excluding those with whom we may disagree. Free speech and academic freedom cannot be determined by any group. They cannot insist on consensus or popularity."